WAB Podcast | Learning Begins with Play, WAB’s Early Years Program

On this week’s WAB Podcast, Early Years Teachers Melina and Emma join the conversation to share what makes WAB’s Early Years (EY) program so special and why the early years matter. Together, they offer a window into our EY classrooms where learning is grounded in inquiry and driven by play.

As an IB Primary Years Program school, WAB’s Early Years program is grounded in inquiry-based learning, where children are encouraged to ask questions and explore ideas. At the heart of this approach is play as the way learning happens. Literacy and numeracy are woven naturally into these experiences, emerging through storytelling, mark-making, building, measuring, negotiating, and problem-solving. “Play is their everything,” Melina explains. “It’s how they learn about the world, about themselves, and about others.” 

Every element of the EY environment is intentionally designed. From kitchen areas where children cook, clean, and serve one another, to construction zones filled with real tools, calculators, keyboards, and recycled materials, learning is rooted in real-life experiences. 

As Emma and Melina share in the podcast, play often leads to powerful and unexpected learning moments. For example, a child experimenting with a stapler discovers how to bind paper into a book. Another child, painting with straws, notices she has created a pattern, opening the door to pattern recognition through art.  

Strong relationships are central to learning in the Early Years. EY classes operate not as isolated rooms, but as a learning community, where teachers know all the children and learning happens together. Multi-age learning plays an important role as well. Older children naturally step into leadership roles, supporting younger peers and growing in confidence and independence. These moments mirror the cross-age connections students will experience throughout their journey at WAB. 

When our students leave EY, they already have a strong foundation of curiosity, problem-solving skills, emotional awareness, and a love of learning. As Melina and Emma emphasize, research consistently shows that the early years are important. This is where children develop their sense of self, their ability to relate to others, and the skills that will carry them through school and beyond. At WAB, those foundations are built intentionally, thoughtfully, and with care. “Your child will truly be known here,” Emma shares. “All children matter. All children belong.” 

Listen to the full podcast episode to hear Melina and Emma’s stories, insights, and passion for the Early Years program at WAB, and discover why learning at WAB begins with play.